Portable dark-room



(No Model.)

J. H MARKLEY.

PORTABLE DARK ROOM.

No. 449,487. Patented Mar. 81, 1891.

2;. \Y- a B I. a I JIM/W ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HENRY MARKLEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PORTABLE DARK-ROOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,487, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed June 12, 1889. Serial No. 314,074. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY MARK- LEY, of Brooklyn, (Green Point,) in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Portable Dark- Room, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved portable dark-room which is simple in construction, readily folded up for convenient transportation, quickly set up wherever needed, and designed for the use of photographers and other persons engaged in outdoor photography, and intended to furnish a convenient and ready means of developing previously-exposed plates in order to get a good and satisfactory negative before leaving the scene of operation.

The invention consists of a casing provided with shelves for the storage of chemicals,a water-tank, and a hood.

The invention also consists in certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as willbe described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formin a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a perspective view of the improvement with the hood removed. Fig. 2 is a like view of the same as in use. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the improvement as folded up to be carried by hand, and Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the bottom of the casing.

The improved portable dark-room A is provided with a casing B, having doors 0, and an extension-bottom D, hinged to the bottom B of the casing and adapted to extend in line therewith, as is plainly shown in Fig. 1. On this extension-bottom D are pivoted rods E, adapted to extend upward and support at their upper ends a frame F,hinged to the top B of the casingB and adapted to fall on the front of the same and behind the doors O when the latter are closed. On this frame F is secured a hood or covering G, made of rubber or other suitable niaterialin the form of a bag adapted to envelop the operator, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 4, at the same time covering the front opening of the casing B when the doors O are opened, thus producing a complete dark-room in the interior of the casing B for the purposes previously mentioned. The hood G is provided near its lower end with a draw-string or rubber band adapted to draw the lower part tightly to the operators waist in order to exclude all light from the outside.

In the casing B, and secured to one of the sides of the latter, are one or more shelves H, for storing bottles and boxes containing the chemicals used in developing photographic plates. On the bottom B of the casing B may be placed suitable receptacles, trays, instruments, &c., used for measuring and Weighing chemicals and liquids and for other purposes.

On one of the sides of the casing B, near the upper part of the latter, is secured a tank I, adapted to contain water and provided with a suitable faucet 1', below which is located a tray J, preferably resting on the bottom B and hinged to the back B of the casing, so as to be readily folded up on the back of the casing when not in use. A waste-pipe J is arranged in the bottom B of the casing to connect with the trayJ for discharging waste water. In the back 13 of the casing is arranged an opening K, adapted to be closed by a pane of glass L, of ruby or other color, so as to exclude white light from the interior of the casing when developing plates, but admitting sufficient colored light to enable the operator to conveniently manipulate the plates. The pane of glass L is mounted in a suitable frame fitted to slide in a suitable bearing N, arranged on the back of the easing B, so as to enable the operator to move the pane of glass L to one sidein order to admit white light from the outside, if desired.

In the top B of the casing B is arranged a ventilating-pipe 0, covered by a cone-shaped tube, and serving to ventilate the interior of the casing B when in use. In the bottom B are arranged openings P, adapted to be closed by plates Q, fitted to slide in suitable guide- Ways Q, secured to the said bottom, as is plainly shown in Fig. +L. \Vhen the plates or slides Q are withdrawn, as illustrated in the left of the said figure, fresh air is admitted to the interior of the casing, thus supplying the operator with the necessary air for breathing and other purposes.

The casing B is adapted to be set on a tripod R, of any approved construction, which latter when folded up can be secured by suitable straps R to the casing B, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The casing Bis also provided with suitable straps S for holding the several parts in place, and also provided with a handle T for conveniently carrying the casing B from place to place.

When the dark-room is set up,. as illustrated in Fig. 2, the doors 0 are opened, the frame F, carrying the hood G, is supported in an uppermost position by the rods E, and is held on the extended bottom D, as shown in Fig. The operator desiring to develop a previously-exposed plate draws the downwardly-e'xtending part of the hood G around himself, so that the upper part of his body is 111 the interior of the casing B, the hood G excluding all white light therefrom. The operator can now manipulate the previouslyexposed plate in the usual manner in order to develop, wash, and fix the same. Thus it will be seen that by having a portable darkroom like the one shown and described the operator is enabled to develop the plates at the scene of operation, so as to obtain a good andt satisfactory negative before leaving the spo Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A portable dark-room comprising, a casing open at one side, hinged doors at its ends to close said side, an extension hinged to the bottom of the-casing at its open side, and a hood-supporting frame hinged to the top of the casing at its open side, the said frame and extension being constructed to swing toward each other and be concealed by the said doors when closed, substantially as described.

2. A portable dark-room comprising a caslng open at one side and provided in its opposite side with a colored-glass window, the hinged end doors closing the open side, the extension hinged to the bottom at the open side of the casing, and the hood-supporting frame hinged to the top of the casing at its open side, substantially as described.

3. A portable dark-room having the hoodsupporting frame, doors for closing its open side, shelves for bottles, &c.,a water-reservoir, and a tank hinged at the upper edge of the rear wall of the casing under the said reservoir, substantially as described.

4. A portable dark-room comprising a casing having an extension-bottom, a frame pivoted to the upper end of the said casing, rods hinged on the said extension-bottom and supporting the said frame, and a hood secured to the said frame and adapted to close the open face of the said casing, substantially-as shown and described.

5. A portable dark-room comprising a casing having an extension-bottom, a frame pivoted to the upper end of the said casing, rods hinged on the said extension-bottom and supporting the said frame, a hood secured to the said frame and adapted to close the open face of the said casing, and means, substantially as described, for ventilating the interior of the said casing, as set forth.

6. A portable dark-room comprising a cas: ing having an extension-bottom, a frame pivoted to the upper end of the said casing, rods hinged on the said extension-bottom and supporting the said frame, a hood secured to the said frame and adapted to close the open face of the said casing, and means, substantially as described, for supplying the said casing with fresh air, as set forth.

7. A portable dark-room comprising a casing having an extension-bottom, shelves arranged in the said casing, doors adapted to close the face of the said casing, a pane of colored glass arranged in the back of the said casing, a water-tank secured in the said casing and provided with a faucet, a tray located below the said faucet and connected with a waste-pipe leading to the outside of the casing, a frame hinged to the upper end of the said casing, rods supporting the said frame from the said extension-bottom,'and a hood secured to the said frame and adapted to close the face of the casing when the said doors are open, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES HENRY MARKLE'Y.

Witnesses:

HY OLIVER, HENRY LEADER. 

